Digital transmitters, such as digital senders, digital network copiers, multi-function peripherals, etc., convert printed material, e.g., paper documents, into digital data to be sent to various predefined destinations, e.g., electronic mail (email) addresses, facsimile (fax) destinations (e.g., via LAN fax, Internet fax, etc.), network printers, personal computers, databases on a network storage devices, such as document management systems, workflow systems, etc., or other data receiving devices. Digital transmitters normally include a scanner for scanning in the printed material for subsequent conversion into digital data by the digital transmitter.
For many applications, digital transmitters convert the data into a data file, e.g., a formatted data file, such as Portable Document Format (PDF), Tag Image File Format (TIFF), Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), or other data format. The data file is often sent to a database, such as a document-management database or a workflow database, where software, such as document-management or workflow software usually files the data file.
Typically, a significant amount of processing occurs between the time that printed material is scanned and a data file corresponding to the printed material is stored in a database. During processing, a number of failures can occur that are not usually apparent to the person who initially scanned the printed material. Some of these failures include network connection failures, failures in subsequent computer or human processing steps, accidental loss of data, etc. Currently, there is no way for tracking data files during processing to determine if a failure has occurred and for confirming whether the data files were stored in the correct folder (or directory) of the database other than physically searching the database folder. Physically searching database folders can be time consuming and is often performed a long time after the data file was sent, for example, when it is desired retrieve the data file.